Names That Mean Love

  1. Amor
    • Origin:

      Latin
    • Meaning:

      "love"
    • Description:

      The Latin word for love, Amor is a concise and strong choice that's currently on the rise in the US. Given to more than 150 girls in a recent year (along with 70 boys), Amor currently outranks the similar Amore, but is substantially less popular than Amora, which ranks in the Top 1000.
  2. Carys
    • Origin:

      Welsh
    • Meaning:

      "love"
    • Description:

      Light, pretty and distinctive in appearance, Carys is one of that sweet group of girl names with a loving meaning. A relatively modern name, it didn't come into use in its native Wales until the late nineteenth century, and even then, it wasn't a mainstream choice until the middle of the twentieth century. Pronounced as CA-riss, the beginning sound is like the one cat or Catherine, not said to rhyme with Claire.
  3. Nayeli
    • Origin:

      Zapotec
    • Meaning:

      "I love you"
    • Description:

      A name rarely heard outside the Latino community, but it was popular enough in the early 2000s to crack the Top 200. Since then, it's lost ground.
  4. Idony
    • Origin:

      Norse
    • Meaning:

      "love again, renewal"
    • Description:

      Idony was the Norse goddess of spring and eternal youth, and variants of her obscure name could come under consideration with the rest of the fashionable I pack. Variations include Idonie and Idonia.
  5. Cerys
    • Origin:

      Welsh
    • Meaning:

      "love"
    • Description:

      Common name in Wales that's all but unknown in the U.S. Certainly an attractive choice ripe for export. In the UK it sits at Number 330.
  6. Venus
    • Origin:

      Latin
    • Meaning:

      "love, desire"
    • Description:

      The name of a heavenly planet and the Roman goddess of beauty and love was an intimidating no-no until tennis champ Venus Williams put an athletic, modern spin on it.
  7. Love
    • Origin:

      English word name
    • Meaning:

      "love"
    • Description:

      Love makes an endearing middle name, as in Jennifer Love Hewitt. However, more parents are considering Love as a first name — enough for it to enter the charts for the first time in 2022 as one of the fastest-rising names of the year. Other love-related alternatives include Juliet, Valentina, and Amor.
  8. Kerensa
    • Origin:

      Cornish
    • Meaning:

      "love"
    • Description:

      Kerensa, forever romantic, is a rare Cornish name spelled with an 's' or 'z', the most modern of the Karen family. Kerensa (or Kerenza) has ties to the Welsh Cerys.
  9. Amora
    • Origin:

      Spanish
    • Meaning:

      "love"
    • Description:

      Is Amora a real name? It made a strong entrance to the US Top 1000 in 2017 so it's one of the Spanish names for girls that is obviously catching on, perhaps thanks to its similarity to Amara, a multicultural name that's achieving widespread popularity here and abroad. Amora sounds like the Latinate amore and is one of the romantic names that mean love, familiar via the classic Dean Martin song That's Amore ("When the moon hits your eye like a big pizza pie...). Amora also borrows something from Amanda, something from Maura, and makes an attractive choice no matter what its pedigree.
  10. Grainne
    • Origin:

      Irish
    • Meaning:

      "grain or love"
    • Description:

      Grainne is the Irish form of the name often Anglicized as Grania. It was the name of the ancient grain goddess and also of the fiancee of mythological hero Finn McCool and lover of Dermot, who was a heroine of the seas.
  11. Elska
    • Origin:

      Norse
    • Meaning:

      "love"
    • Description:

      This name looks like a sister to the names Elsa and the Czech name for girls Eliška, a popular diminutive of Elizabeth — and sometimes it is (in German, for example). But it is also a word in Old Norse and some modern Nordic languages, meaning "love" or "to love".
  12. Aika
    • Origin:

      Japanese
    • Meaning:

      "flower"
    • Description:

      Depending on which characters you use, this Japanese name can have many meanings. The first part can mean "love, affection" or "indigo", while kanji for the second element include those meaning flower, perfume, include, sing, and praise. Whichever you choose, this is a distinctive Japanese name that travels easily into other languages.
  13. Cariad
  14. Carwyn
    • Origin:

      Welsh
    • Meaning:

      "blessed love"
    • Description:

      A famous bearer is Carwyn Jones, leader of the Welsh Labour Party and First Minister of Wales since 2009. Feminine version is Carwen.
  15. Thando
    • Origin:

      Xhosa, Zulu, Ndebele
    • Meaning:

      "love"
    • Description:

      A common unisex name used frequently in South Africa.
  16. Ife
    • Origin:

      African, Yoruba
    • Meaning:

      "love"
    • Description:

      Simple African name all-but-unknown in the U.S. and Europe, which is exactly why it might make a perfect choice. Similarity to such popular names as Ava and Eva (and the Irish Aoife) makes it more familiar, but potentially more confusing.
  17. Ceri
    • Origin:

      Welsh
    • Meaning:

      "to love"
    • Description:

      Ceri is traditionally a Welsh masculine name which historically has been Anglicised to "Kerry", but we love the Welsh original. Famous Ceris include British painter Ceri Richards and New Zealand soccer player Ceri Evans. Be aware that Ceri is sometimes used as a female name, both as a standalone name and as a shortening of the Welsh female name Ceridwen.
  18. Philou
    • Origin:

      Dutch
    • Meaning:

      "love"
    • Description:

      This Dutch name stems from the Greek root word "philos" meaning "love". It is relatively common in the Netherlands.
  19. Aire
    • Origin:

      English word name or Japanese
    • Meaning:

      "air; love"
    • Description:

      Aire is a poetic spelling of the word "air", once widely used in Middle English. Today, it's a brand new baby name, introduced to wider audiences when Kylie Jenner revealed it as the new name of her son (the baby previously known as Wolf). Aire is an exciting new choice in nature names and unisex names — one that is decidedly less materialistic than the homophone name Heir.
  20. Milda
    • Origin:

      Lithuanian mythological name
    • Meaning:

      "goddess of love"
    • Description:

      The name of the Lithuanian love diety is a unique way to get to the nickname Millie. Milda has also been seen as a diminutive for names such as Matilda and Mildred. It appeared on the US Top 1000 in 1886 and 1887.

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